Diamondbacks Reportedly Interested in Justin Turner
The Diamondbacks continue to look to add more right-handed bats, even after the buy-low trade for former American League Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis. In free agency, they've shown interest in the former Giants third baseman Evan Longoria and have now checked in on former Dodgers infielder Justin Turner.
Turner, who has been a thorn in Arizona's side for the past nine years as a Dodger, is coming off a down season. He hit .278/.350/.438 with 13 home runs and 81 runs batted in. His 116 OPS+ is his lowest total in a Dodgers uniform, although still 16% better than the league average hitter. While Turner had a solid season, the Dodgers declined a $16 million club option and let him test the free agent market.
Turner's bat has also declined a bit in terms of quality of contact. His hard hit rate on Statcast, which is balls hit 95 MPH or greater, dropped from a peak of 45.9% in 2019 down to 40.6% in 2022. That significantly affected his home run production, but otherwise Turner was a very disciplined and effective hitter for the Dodgers. He'll be entering his Age 38 season in 2023, so there are significant concerns about a potentially steep decline moving forward. Turner has also battled knee issues throughout his career with the Dodgers, so that's something to take note of.
In Arizona, Turner would provide a veteran leadership role to the clubhouse while splitting time between the infield and designated hitter. There weren't any noticeable platoon splits in 2022 or throughout his run with the Dodgers, so the team could plug him in as their primary DH and play the infield as necessary. Turner would get starts on the infield when Christian Walker, Josh Rojas, and Ketel Marte either start at DH or are out of the lineup.
At 38, Turner would not command a big financial investment relative to other free agent signings we’ve seen the past week. But it still may require up to a two-year deal to sign him away from Los Angeles. He would command more on the free agent market than Evan Longoria, with better health and performance the past two seasons. An incentive-laden one-year deal plus a vesting option may be the best route for the D-backs.
